Dear Family
and Friends:
We just
completed a huge painting project inside our beautiful home. It seemed symbolic for the year 2012 and
describes, well, how our family has been changing this past year. A quick look back over the year - let’s start
with our youngest and perhaps most energetic part of the Gibbons home - Andrea :
Andrea
(age 9) had a
glorious year. She’s clearly no longer
our ‘baby.’ Several ‘baby’ teeth are
gone, her long-time bunk bed has been replaced by her new bed and bedroom
(she’s the first person visitors will meet if they come upstairs), and she has
turned into quite the student. Andrea’s
makeover has allowed her to grow into an even more beautiful dancer and a
confident young lady. She’s beautiful
inside and out!
Derek
(age 11) is becoming
quite the little man! His defensive
skills displayed with his soccer team have earned him the respect of many –
nobody gets past Derek. Derek has also
busted out into his own new room, which includes BYU-blue paint, a huge photo of the BYU campus,
and a few team posters. Derek’s teachers
consistently inform his parents of how great a student and how full of life
Derek is, in class. He’s a wonderful
friend. If you get Derek to start
laughing…beware – he won’t stop until his lips are blue and he’s cried actual
happy tears!
Tiffany
(age 14) has gone
through major ‘life reconstruction’ this past year. She also gained her own room (including the
obligatory blue and green paint) this year.
Tiffany fractured her back sometime during the summer, which meant this
3-Time State Floor Gymnastics Champ was forced to ‘hang it up.’ She responded by re-inventing herself. She’s back dancing with her former BYU dance
group and figured she still had time for more.
WHY NOT TRY DIVING?! Her ability
to spin and flip was an instant hit amongst her diving buddies. She dives at BYU 3-5 days a week and dances 2
days….in the same building. Somehow,
she’s been able to maintain her stellar string of A’s at school. Tiffany does ‘makeover’ like Chuck Norris
does ‘tough.’ :-)
Jason
(age 16) has turned
into the social-magnet this past year!
Nothing says makeover like learning how to drive and starting to
date. Oh yeah, Jason also took over an
extra basement room, as well. He did
some painting, some cleaning, and moved on down there. He even keeps it ‘mostly’ clean… Jason continues to master the cello, and has
begun to perform with it. He learned
JUST TODAY that he has indeed reached the towering height of his father, to
which he just smiled and said “Sweet.”
With all the additional time hanging out with friends, he’s been able to
maintain his A’s as well.
Cameron
(age 18) began his
year deeply entrenched in High School Basketball. He finished his third year on the Varsity
Lone Peak H.S. basketball team in March with his second STATE CHAMPIONSHIP and
a Top-20 national ranking. Cameron was
required to support the team by being a ‘role player’, which means he pounded
on the starters, in practice, and humbly sat the bench for most of the games. None of this was easy for him, but he learned
the value of hard work. He somehow came
out of all of this with a deep love, still, for the game of basketball. He finished high school in May and graduated
– a happy day for all! Cameron works at
Hobby Lobby and helps others decorate their homes! He has also spent time working for his Uncle
Steve doing more….you guessed it….home reconstruction.
Nathan is finishing this year with
full-time work at the Provo MTC. Didn’t
necessarily see that one coming! After
16 years in 3 LDS Family Services offices, he was excited by this reassignment
which has come his way. He was thrilled
to support and assist Deb as she began the huge undertaking of our HOME
MAKEOVER. Luckily, he could add help
with the labor, because the process of picking paint colors was best done by
his sweetheart! :-)
Nathan spent the year cheering his kids on in their various activities
and playing a little ball, himself. He’s
become a deadly outside shooter (that’s code for ‘the lazy old man doesn’t have
it in him, anymore, to pound the boards, so he sets up on the 3-point line and
buries them!’) Nathan recently made
another commitment for self-makeover as he is now refusing to yell at the
refs! Deb will be helping Nathan with
that one.... but it’s going pretty well so far.
Deborah is the makeover QUEEN this
year. In addition to painting
approximately 80% of the walls and ceiling of our beautiful home, Deb found
time to work full-time and then PRN as an RN on the 7th Floor (Oncology) at
UVRMC, transport kids ALL OVER THIS VALLEY day after day, teach children's dance at BYU, and still take care
of herself and others by running, laughing, and loving! Just recently, in fact, Deb’s hard work was
rewarded by a new environment to work at, come 2013. She’s long dreamed of being able to work at
the American Fork Hospital, because of how close it is to our home. Her dream has come true. Not only does she get to make her own
schedule (PRN), she will be working both in the ICU and the ER. HOW FUN IS THAT?! It’s a testament to hard work and
dedication. Her managers and patients
love her.
We hope and
pray for a wonderful new 2013. We’re
learning that life is full of both heartache and joy. As Sister Hinckley once stated, “You can
either laugh or cry, and I choose to laugh.
Crying gives me a headache.” Oh
so true. We know that our Heavenly
Father will makeover our lives better than we ever could….if we will let
Him. Our wish for you is joy and peace
at this Christmas Season. May the gift
of the Atonement of our brother, Jesus Christ, work in each of our lives. We love you!
The Gibbons – Nathan, Deborah, Cameron, Jason, Tiffany,
Derek and Andrea
